Potatoes when losing weight and best ways to cook them: Coach's advice
Illustrative photo (Freepik)
Potatoes are often considered an unhealthy food when trying to lose weight. However, it turns out that this vegetable has fewer calories than some popular grains, and there is a healthy way to cook it, according to coach Yurii Popko.
About potatoes
According to the expert, Ukraine is among the top three countries in the world in terms of potato production. It also ranks second in the world in terms of consumption, with the average person consuming approximately 120 kg per year.
"In France, there are potato varieties that cost 22-25 thousand hryvnias per kilogram, and I’m not mistaken in the figures (the variety is called La Bonnotte)," the post says.
A significant advantage of potatoes is that they store well and can be eaten year-round.
From a basic perspective, potatoes are carbohydrates. They are often equated with grains and pasta in diet plans. However, 100 g of buckwheat contains 350 kcal, while 100 g of potatoes contains only 88 kcal.
Benefits of potatoes
As a result, you can eat a lot of potatoes since their caloric content is relatively low compared to grains, although higher compared to other vegetables. Moreover, they provide long-lasting satiety.
For example, if you eat potatoes and a croissant, you'll feel full for several hours after the potatoes, while you'll be hungry again in just half an hour after the croissant, even though both are carbohydrates.
Potatoes are rich in potassium, which helps regulate blood pressure.
If you frequently experience muscle cramps, it may indicate a potassium deficiency in your body, which can be found in potato skins.
Potatoes also contain a significant amount of vitamin C, especially in new potatoes. They are rich in fiber, which is beneficial for our digestive system.
However, potatoes are also high in starch, which quickly converts into glucose and is comparable to consuming sugar. This can be harmful to the pancreas and is especially concerning for people with diabetes and insulin resistance.
Starch in potatoes can be categorized into two types: the type that is quickly absorbed and converted into glucose, and the slow (resistant) type.
"A tip: If you boil potatoes in their skins, which is the healthiest way to prepare them (remember the potassium in the skin), and then let them cool, resistant starch forms. In simple terms, resistant starch is not broken down in the small intestine but reaches the large intestine, where it feeds beneficial bacteria," the coach said.
When eating potatoes, it's advisable to add vegetables to your meal since fiber helps stabilize blood glucose levels, especially if the foods have a high glycemic index.
Symptoms of potato poisoning
Eating potatoes frequently increases the risk of developing diabetes by 6-7%. You should never eat sprouted or green potatoes, as they contain solanine. This is a toxic glycoalkaloid produced by plants in the nightshade family. It can be found in any part of the plant—leaves, fruits, stems, and potatoes.
Symptoms of solanine poisoning include nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, stomach cramps, throat irritation, headaches, and dizziness.
In large doses, solanine poisoning can be fatal.
Potato varieties used in agriculture are tested for solanine content, and in most cases, the concentration is below 0.2 milligrams per gram.
However, in potatoes that have been exposed to light, solanine concentration can reach 1 mg/g or even higher. In such cases, one unpeeled potato may be enough to cause poisoning.
50-80% of this toxin is found in the green peel, so such potatoes are definitely not suitable for cooking in their skins.
How not to cook potatoes
It is also very important how you prepare potatoes—the more they are overcooked, the higher their glycemic index (GI) will be.
For example, mashed potatoes have a GI of 90, while boiled potatoes in their skins have a GI of 65. Don’t confuse the calorie content of boiled potatoes with French fries, which contain nearly 300 kcal per 100 g, while boiled potatoes have 88 kcal.
Moreover, if you add half a pack of butter to mashed potatoes, the calorie content immediately increases by 3-5 times due to the fat.
Therefore, the healthiest way to prepare potatoes is to cook them in their skins and eat them cooled.
This material is for informational purposes only and should not be used for medical diagnosis or self-treatment. Our goal is to provide readers with accurate information about symptoms, causes, and methods of detecting diseases. RBС-Ukraine is not responsible for any diagnoses that readers may make based on materials from the resource. We do not recommend self-treatment and advise consulting a doctor in case of any health concerns.
